hike in zone 6B, but a higher latitude

 this is also part of AT

monticello

standing tall

Wishes for 2018

 

Wish list for 2018

visit somewhere new
renovation #2

read books

find new parish home
continue to build small business


 __ space for emerging goals through the year __

In 2017, I
traveled to Hamilton, MO, Gettysburg, Emmitsburg, Fredericksburg
rode bikes (Katy Trail, Creve Coeur Park)
visited the art museum

made garden smaller and more efficient
read 100+ books
cooked 5 new recipes + tried 5 new-to-me restaurants
took weekly photos (mostly for Instagram)

attended a Cardinals' game
hosted a party 

saw a Muny show (with B)
prayed daily
continued focusing on small business
used my planner to budget time and remember activities
continued to learn about my health

Best Books Read in 2017

 

 My favorite books of 2017, in no particular order::

33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley

The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher

Hashimoto's Protocol by Izabella Wentz

Eat Dirt by Josh Axe

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander

The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovannino Guareschi

The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer

The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes

Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Happiness

"Happiness does not depend on accumulating more things, but on the mindset we have concerning the things we do possess."

  --Fulton Sheen, Finding True Happiness

small amounts

"Writing must be done in small amounts. I draft passages in notebooks, revise them, and make the final drafts on the typewriter. My speed is about a paragraph a day." --Guy Davenport

Though I can appreciate this quote for the process of writing, I am not so much a writer as I am a visual artist and a sewer. I can see how this process works for me with sewing, quilting, painting, and even gardening and house projects. I am satisfied by the incremental, the slow and steady of what I am able to contribute and create in short periods of time. While some days may result in more than a paragraph (or the equivalent), most days do not lend themselves to whole books (or quilts, or finished works).

What do you do step by step, as you have little bits of time?

slowing down

"Play, reading, writing, letters, slowness of life all contribute to creativity. When we live fast, we don't have time to catch our breath, to think, to explore, to linger. When we take those slower steps, we begin to see and notice more, to absorb the parts of our lives, the world to have such an effect on us. If we rush through our commutes, we can be exasperated, rushed, tired, short. Everything is a check on the to-do list, not to be relished until it is all complete. But, it is never complete. There will always be another day, another item on the list, another list. The point is not to get rid of the list, or the items on the list, but to slow the list, the items. To relish and enjoy the stages between the steps. During the commute, be grateful fro your job, your car, your life, your family. Be grateful for that time to think, to see, to hear. Be glad for what came before and what will come after."

Source: World Enough and Time by Christian MacEwen.

 

Additional thoughts can be found in Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris.

 

Addendum: I started this post and typed this quote two months ago, after thinking about it for several months. I am possibly the busiest I have been this year and last year, but even as I say that, I can recall some really busy seasons in my life in high school, college, and my first several years working after graduate school. I am aching for a slowing down of activities, commitments, responses, and scheduling. The horizon does look promising because there are at least 2 things I can end and 1 thing to majorly downsize. All of this means that there will be space for something we want to add to our lives and consciously saying no, enough, and not now will be things on our lips more frequently.

  

 The Little Flower - St. Therese of Lisieux (she visited this church at least once, therefore there is a special devotion to her here)

 Saint Rita of Cascia

Images from the church Notre Dame des Victoires in Paris (Our Lady of Victories)